Category: Identifying and Countering Deception

Building a Biblical Worldview: Who Am I?

“Who am I?” is one of life’s most important questions. Where will we find the answer? From our parents, our peers, teachers, books, nature, God, the devil, or ourselves?

If we know who we are, we will be more likely to act in agreement with our true identity. If we believe a lie about who we are, we will probably fulfill the false image.

The devil made it his mission to defile what God created and loves. He could not directly curse God or his creatures; so, instead he tricked Adam and Eve to bring God’s judgment upon themselves through outright disobedience. When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, they chose to receive information about their identity from the wrong source. Satan only tells lies, being the Father of Lies, according to Jesus. Ever since, we have been bombarded with lie after lie after lie, each one pushing us farther from God and closer to destruction.

When we derive our identity from the master deceiver, it will always be warped and leading away from God. God asked Adam where he got the information that he was naked and needed to hide from God.

During the cool part of the day, the LORD God was walking in the garden. The man and the woman heard him, and they hid among the trees in the garden. 9 The LORD God called to the man and said, "Where are you?" 10 The man said, "I heard you walking in the garden, and I was afraid. I was naked, so I hid." 11 God said to the man, "Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat fruit from that special tree? I told you not to eat from that tree!" Genesis 3:8-11 (ETRV)

It seems obvious that, if a person believes in God, he or she should seek the answer to the identity question from the one who created us.

God surely knows exactly who we are. Not only that, for those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ, our identity has been recreated through the new birth, making us spiritual children of our heavenly Father.

Once again, we turn to Genesis for insight.

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:26-27 (ESV)
Questions from the Text

There are several things in the above passage that should make us ponder.

  • Who are the “us” mentioned in verse 26? We already noticed that in the opening two verses of Genesis, God and his Spirit are both mentioned. We also saw that the eternal logos or Word, who is later revealed to be Jesus (John 1:14), was also present and doing the creating. Therefore, right here in the opening chapter of Genesis, we have the beginning of the biblical doctrine of the Trinity, the mysterious revelation that, even though God is one, he is an “us,” three persons comprising one God.
  • What does it mean to be created or made in God’s image and likeness? We will find out later in Exodus that God prohibits making an idol or image to represent him. The only genuine image of God for us humans is the one presented by the eternal Logos, who became a man, Jesus the Messiah. (Hebrews 1:3) Jesus is the exact representation of the Father. We learn what the Father is like by observing and listening to his Son. But, beyond that, what does it mean that people are created in God’s image? Certainly God shares with us some of his qualities or communicable attributes. Human beings are intelligent, creative, responsible, emotional, and capable of love, truthfulness, and faithfulness, to name a few.
  • What does it mean for us to have dominion over the rest of creation? The Hebrew word means to have dominion, rule, subdue, or prevail. We know from later verses in the Bible that God gave us the animals for food after the great flood. (Genesis 9:3) We also see that a godly person cares for his animals. (Proverbs 12:10) Putting all of this together, we conclude that mankind has been given dominion over the rest of creation, and he should use that dominion to provide for himself food and shelter, while also being a good steward of and kind toward the rest of creation.
  • How does our sexuality reflect God’s image? In his wisdom, God divided mankind into male and female. We understand from the totality of the Bible that God is a spirit and not a sexual being; however, masculinity is ascribed to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Femininity is ascribed to the church. Males and females have physiological and emotional differences, even though there is a wide variation among individuals. Marriage, the joining of male to female both physically and emotionally, and, perhaps, spiritually, provides a means for God’s image to be more fully revealed.
Some Things We Learn about God

From our opening passage, we also learn some things about God. We must ask ourselves why God chose to create the earth, heavens, and living beings.

  • Was it because he was lonely? The One God has existed eternally as a loving unified “trinity” of persons, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Loneliness could not possibly be part of that equation. Ascribing loneliness to God insinuates that he is less than complete in himself, which is not true. Why then did he create us?
  • In order to glorify himself by sharing his life and joy with others. Everything God does brings glory to himself because he is glorious and everything he does reflects that glory.
    • By creating the heavens and earth, both the visible and invisible parts of it, he demonstrated his amazing genius, goodness, and power for others to see. The natural response of the creature should be to recognize God’s hand in the creation and worship the Creator.
    • By creating people, God glorified himself through amazing beings who can think, choose, love, obey, worship, or the opposite of these things.
    • By creating us and placing his image in us, God set the stage for sharing his very life and glory with his creation.
    • We will learn later that it was his intent to show kindness to his people for all eternity. (Ephesians 2:7)
So What?

What then does it mean to us that God chose to create us in his image and likeness? Our first response should be one of humble wonder. King David illustrated this attitude when he penned Psalm 8.

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained; 4  What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him? 5  Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty! 6  You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, 7  All sheep and oxen, And also the beasts of the field, 8  The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, Whatever passes through the paths of the seas. 9  O LORD, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth! Psalm 8:3-9 (NASB)

David responded by worshiping and praising God. By doing this we can bring even more glory to God by making the choice to freely worship our Creator. This should be the default attitude in people. When we find something else, such as complaining, bitterness, the refusal to acknowledge God, etc., we know that sin is at work in a vain effort to deprive God of his glory and us of life and joy.

Humans Reflect the Triune Image of God
then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature (literally: soul). Genesis 2:7 (ESV)

God created Adam with a spirit, soul, and body. (If this seems like a strange concept to you, Paul confirmed man’s three-part composition in 1 Thessalonians 5:23.) God breathed his Spirit (ruach – wind, breath, spirit) into the body he formed out of the dust. This combination of spirit and body produced a living soul, consisting of mind, will, and emotions – our personality.

The spirit is the deepest part of a person, where we are able to connect to God after we are born again by the Spirit. When Adam and Eve chose to rebel against God in the garden, their sin introduced death into our lives, which affected every part of us. Spiritually it broke the life-giving communion Adam and Eve enjoyed at the beginning. Sin produced guilt, fear, and a desire to hide from God in their souls. Their bodies began to die, too. Every person who is born into this world since then arrives in the condition being “dead” in our sins, even though for a while we enjoy physical life. (Ephesians 2:1-2) In this condition we are by nature God’s enemies, with hardened hearts that are spiritually blind and deaf. Only God’s gracious intervention through the gospel and the inner working of the Holy Spirit can rescue us. That is why Jesus came. We learn about God’s incredible mercy and kindness through him.

Yes, the Word was full of grace and truth, and from him we all received one blessing after another. 17 That is, the law was given to us through Moses,♦ but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. The only Son is the one who has shown us what God is like. He is himself God and is very close to the Father. John 1:16-18 (ETRV)

When a person comes to believe in Christ, the Holy Spirit causes the spirit to be “born again” or made anew in Christ’s image. (John 3:3-8) The Bible says that God’s Spirit and our spirit become one. (1 Cor. 6:17) God’s life and image is planted as a seed in the new believer’s being. (James 1:21) Like leaven in a lump of dough, that seed gradually transforms the person from the inside out. (Matthew 13:33)

For a more detailed explanation of spirit, soul, and body, you can click on the links in this sentence.

The newly recreated spirit is the seat of intuition, communion with God, and conscience. Because we have a spirit, humans are uniquely able to interface with both the spiritual and material worlds. Think about how amazing this is! What a gift God has given to us!

It should not surprise us that God would fashion us with three parts to our makeup. After all, he exists as three persons in one.

Just as it is often impossible to distinguish completely between the operation of the three persons of the Trinity, it is also extremely difficult to say where the spirit stops and the soul begins, or where the soul stops and body begins. Sicknesses are often labeled psycho-somatic because a link has been observed between the soul (Greek: psyche) and body (Greek: soma). Similarly, it is often difficult to distinguish between physical ailments and those brought on by an evil spirit. When Jesus ministered to sick people, he recognized both sources of illness and dealt with each in a different way. Only the Spirit of God and the Word of God have the ability to completely discern what is what. (Hebrews 4:12)

Having a spirit created in God’s image gives us a definite advantage over the animals.  By being able to commune with God, we can gain his wisdom and insight into life situations. In addition, we have the promise of eternal life and sharing God’s glorious rule over all things.

Sin and the Image of God

Because of sin, people in general no longer reflect God in the same way as did Adam and Eve. All people still carry God’s image as a result of being created, but in many cases it has been so marred that human beings reflect the opposite of what God is like. Some people make the mistake of thinking that all people are God’s children, confusing the created image of God with the implanted life and person of God, which is given at the new birth.

Although all humans bear the image of God to some degree, only those people who have been born again are truly God’s children. This is the identity God wants us to have.

This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. Romans 9:8 (ESV)

The image of God is restored through the new birth and will be fully revealed at the resurrection of the just, at which time believers will be completely transformed into God’s image.

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 1 John 3:2 (ESV) 

Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52  in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53  For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54  When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55  “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56  The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57  But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:51-57 (ESV)
Conclusion

Our identity as beings created in God’s image was marred by sin. Because of the broken condition in which we are born into the world, most people have a false idea of who they are and who God is. We sin when we act in agreement with our sin marred identity. Jesus came to restore us back to the image of God through the new birth. As we learn to live out of our new identity, our motivation and goal should be to glorify God and worship, obey, and serve him from the heart.

Those of us who have experienced the new birth are commissioned to share this blessing by telling how Jesus came to redeem a people back to God. We do this in the hope that the gospel message will prompt people to put their faith and allegiance in Christ and be restored as children of God who bear the full image of God, our true identity.

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Building a Biblical Worldview: Origins

The first essential question that faces anyone attempting to build a worldview concerns origins. How did we get here? If we see a turtle on top of a fence post, we can be sure that it did not get there by itself. Until the advent of evolutionary thinking, people understood that we and our world did not get here by itself. Now that idea is challenged by those who claim that the cosmos created itself. Which side we take in the debate has profound implications.

Origin determines identity, purpose, morality, and destiny; so, getting the answer to the origin question right is extremely important.

That is why the devil works so hard to get us off course in the beginning of our worldview journey. He knows that if he can deceive us regarding origins, he can more easily dupe us in the other areas.

Genesis opens with the following two verses.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2  The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Genesis 1:1-2 (ESV)

We learn from these verses that:

  • There was a beginning of time, and God was there, hinting that God is eternal.
  • God acted to create everything in the visible and invisible realms – the heavens and the earth, implying that he is extremely powerful.
  • The waters, light, and what we call earth were the first things created, destroying the Big Bang evolutionary theory of the cosmos.
  • Therefore, we were made by God, making us accountable to him. The Creator owns the creation.
  • Therefore, what God says trumps every other so-called source of truth.
Creation Reveals Much about the Creator

Whenever we examine anything that has been made, we learn something about the maker. A beautiful watch is a doorway into the mind of the maker. When we observe God’s magnificent creation, we learn about him, if we rightly perceive it.

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. Romans 1:20 (NASB)

If Satan can pervert the origins narrative, he can distort how we view creation with the result that we will derive incorrect input regarding God’s nature and power and our place in the grand scheme of things.

Some of God’s attributes are “incommunicable,” meaning they are unique to him and divine. Others are “communicable,” meaning that he shares them with his creatures. Theologians call God’s attribute of power “omnipotence,” which means he is all powerful. It is interesting that Paul wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that God’s power is eternal, which is an inference we can make from seeing that God was present in the beginning. He predates the beginning. Later in the Bible we find out that God has no beginning or end. He is eternal. God has placed something in the heart of mankind that is drawn toward eternity. The author of Ecclesiastes wrote that God has “…set eternity in the hearts of men…” (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV) 

What can we discern about God’s divine nature? One of the children in our small group responded to this question by saying that God is “amazing, fantastic, and surprising.” (Not bad for an 8-year old!) We can also tell that he is creative and good. We gather that God appreciates beauty, complexity, and diversity by observing the world he created. Perhaps a very good exercise would be for us to ask ourselves, what else can we discover about God by thoughtfully observing his creation?

Is the Bible Narrative a Satisfying Explanation of Our Origins?

In order to be open and honest, we should ask ourselves if we have ever encountered another satisfying explanation of how things came to be.

Does the Bible’s explanation of origins ring true in our hearts?

There are certainly a variety of theories out there, one of which is materialistic evolution. This theory of origins usually starts with the “big bang,” which posits an extraordinary explosion which originated the cosmos. One problem with this explanation is that it is merely an hypothesis regarding the mechanics of how the universe came to be, without answering the question of origins. It does not tell us where the big bang’s matter and energy originated. In other words, what was before the big bang? This fails to pass the intellectual test and the heart test.

Evolutionary theory assumes the presence of the material world, without trying to explain its origin, and tries to explain life’s origin in terms of chemical and physical processes taking place over untold eons, without God’s being in the picture. Since this is not a scientific paper, I will not attempt to show all the problems related to this unprovable hypothesis. If you are interested, you can do your own research at the Creation.com website. A very informative video is available, entitled Evolution’s Achilles Heels, which I highly recommend. Let me summarize my objections by saying that science has already proved that it is impossible for matter to move from chaos to complexity without the application and maintenance of external energy. This is called the law of entropy. Things fall apart naturally, not self-create.

Our complex and ordered world demands a Creator.

The Bible’s explanation is that we and the cosmos were created God, whose genius we have been studying for centuries. For those who believe in God, the biblical account satisfies the heart, but intellectually we may find it lacking. This is because Adam’s and Eve’s first sin was to choose to understand things for themselves rather than simply trust in God. Since then, the devil has used the same ruse against us. Unsaved people do not want to rely on what God says. Instead, we want to figure things out for ourselves.

This is the test of the ages: will we believe God or our own intellect?

Once we decide that God’s Word is always true, the biblical account satisfies our intellectual curiosity. We can devote ourselves to discovering more about his creation without wandering down dead ends of human speculation.

The Deliberate Suppression of Truth

Those who refuse to acknowledge God’s existence usually work hard to refute the Bible’s creation narrative.

Sadly, in the pursuit of the world’s validation, many Christians have decided that the Bible’s account of creation is little more than a fairy tale.

Evolution, when it was first introduced, was readily embraced by communist leaders, because they thought it validated their atheistic worldview. If people are determined to believe that there is no God, it is easy to understand why Darwinism is so attractive. It appears to lend some scientific credibility to a biblically unsupportable viewpoint. Over the decades following, evolution gained wide acceptance, being taught as fact in our school systems. Those who wield power in academia suppress the teaching of creationism, insisting that evolution must be accepted as a scientific fact, when it is an unprovable hypothesis.

Those who accept the existence of the biblical God also believe that there is an archenemy, Satan, whose plan is to destroy faith in God as the Creator in young children in order to subvert God’s plan and purpose for their lives. It is revealing to see how creationism is suppressed in public schools. It is ridiculed, mocked, and ignored. Creationist teachers often face the wrath of other teachers and the administration. This is no accident.

On the other hand, the truth can stand on its on merits. Because of this, those who oppose God’s truth must try to suppress it.

Evolutionists fear the power of the truth they have chosen to suppress.

Children are naturally disposed to believe that there is a Creator, unless they are brainwashed to believe a lie. We are going to believe something; so, it is far better to believe the truth than to believe a lie. From where did this proclivity and necessity to believe come? If we accept the Bible account, we must conclude that it was built into us at creation. What a travesty it is when childlike faith is undermined by a deliberate suppression of truth!

Conclusion

No matter to which side of the origins debate we are drawn, all of us bring to the table certain unprovable presuppositions. The evolutionist presupposes that there is no God; whereas, the creationist presupposes the very opposite. Every worldview depends on such a priori beliefs.

After becoming a follower of Christ and accepting the truth of the Bible, I have found great joy in acknowledging the kindness, wisdom, and power of the God I serve! For me, the creationist approach to origins passes the heart test and the intellectual test.

One does not have to commit intellectual suicide to believe the biblical account of creation; however, we may suffer at the hands of those who hold a godless worldview. The suppression of truth requires those in power to use any means possible to slap down those that question their orthodoxy. 

Unless we are willing to endure suffering for the sake of truth, we will likely suppress our voices in speaking out against the lie.

When we admit that the heavens and earth could not possibly have self-originated and recognize that we owe our existence to the Creator God, it automatically sets us up to be able to answer the other worldview questions correctly.

  • We will see that knowing where we come from helps us to know our identity.
  • Knowing our identity helps us to understand our purpose.
  • Understanding our origin, identity and purpose gives us insight into how to determine what is right and wrong.
  • Finally, we will also be able to understand what is our destiny.

A proper understanding of origins is a fountainhead of truth, which is why we must make sure that we completely accept Genesis Chapter One.

It opens a path of revelation into the heart of God that, if followed to the end, provides us with the ability to live with purpose and joy.

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Building a Biblical Worldview: Introduction

Before we can adequately recognize and counter the deception that is so rampant, it is foundational for us to consider and attempt to answer life’s crucial questions in order to build a biblical worldview. We all have a worldview of some sort; even if it is a patchwork of mutually contradictory beliefs. The technological world in which we live might be thought of as a satanic strategy to keep people’s minds occupied with trivial things – games, social media, etc., rather than ponder the kinds of questions that might lead us to God.

A worldview is a framework or perspective through which we view and try to understand the world in which we live.

A person’s worldview will not only affect how he or she understands life and reality; it will also heavily influence decision making because it will determine what is valuable to us.

In this series of articles, I will show how the Bible answers five of life’s most crucial worldview questions.

  1. Origins: From where did I come?
  2. Identity: Who am I?
  3. Purpose: Why am I here?
  4. Morality: What is right and wrong?
  5. Destiny: Where am I going after death?

If we think about these questions for very long, it will become obvious that each one is related to the others. How we answer the first question will greatly influence how we answer the others. If we get the first question right from a biblical perspective, it will make it easier to get the others right, too. Conversely, if we miss the mark on number one, we will automatically err on the others.

Presuppositions

In order for us to answer these worldview questions, we must agree that everyone has assumed certain things, which cannot be proved true or false.

Presuppositions are what we each consider to be self-evident truths which simply must be believed since they cannot be scientifically proved.

Our Declaration of Independence held that certain truths are self-evident: that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, and that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. (Originally the last item was property, which makes a lot more sense.)

The writers agreed upon the following presuppositions:

  1. People are created by God.
  2. All people are equal.
  3. All people have God-given rights, specifically, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It is impossible to “prove” that these presuppositions are true; however, it was considered to be obvious by the founders of our nation. Where did they get these “truths?” The first one comes from Genesis in the Bible. The second one is found in the New Testament. The third one derives from the philosopher John Locke’s Two Treatises on Government, which was widely read by the colonists. The right to life, liberty, and property are supported in the Bible. Jesus is the source of life, which humans are forbidden to steal through murder. Jesus died and rose again to liberate us from satanic oppression, and property rights are delineated in the Law of Moses. Locke emphasized what is called  “natural law,” by which it was understood that the purpose of government is to protect these rights. This agrees with Romans Chapter 13, where Paul wrote that the government’s role is to ensure justice.

The colonists believed that their rights as citizens were being violated by the Crown contrary to English law, thus de-legitimizing the English government, which had become tyrannical instead of law abiding. By the time the Declaration was penned, these ideas were considered to be self-evident and beyond question. The colonists’ worldview, their understanding of right and wrong and the purpose of government, was Bible-based to a great extent and influenced their subsequent actions. People were willing to risk their lives supporting a revolution against tyranny in pursuit of what for them was required by their worldview. (If you wish to read a sermon by a Presbyterian preacher named David Caldwell, who lived in our area, click here. It lays out everything above.)

Perhaps some of my readers may not agree with our nation’s founders’ “self-evident” truths, but, whether we like to admit it or not, we all have such presuppositions. It is unavoidable. Even people who claim to be purely rational materialistic scientists have presumed on the validity of the scientific method, which presumes that there are unchangeable truths to be discovered, which presumes there is order and logic to the universe, which necessitates some unprovable reason for this to be so.

Using the Bible to Build Our Worldview

God has ordained that it is impossible for us to empirically prove many very important things in life, which, as a result, must be accepted by “faith.”

In other words, we all have to believe something, even if that belief is the self-contradictory notion that there is no such thing as unconditional truth. People jump to unprovable conclusions all the time because of our built in need to believe. That is one reason people fall for the false narratives of the media. We are believers by design, and what we choose to believe is all important.

God intended for us to depend on him to be our interpreter of reality and source of truth.

When Adam and Eve fell for Satan’s lie and rejected that way of “doing life,” humanity descended into the confusing darkness of trying to fathom the meaning of life by ourselves. We lost our way. That is why Jesus came, as he put it, to “seek and save the lost.” (Luke 19:10)

In an effort to reorient ourselves, it is a good idea for each of us to ask ourselves, “Where did I get my ideas about life and reality?”

If we are followers of Christ, who accept the Bible as the most reliable source of God’s revealed truth, we will start there to build our worldview. If we do not accept what the Bible teaches, we must find some other way to construct a view of life and our world that is both satisfying and consistent. This I believe is quite impossible.

My hope is that you will stay with me as we consider some of life’s crucial questions from a biblical point of view. Even if you hold different presuppositions from mine, I believe considering what the Bible has to say will be beneficial and thought provoking. The very first verse of Genesis answers our first worldview question. That is where the second article will begin.

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Why Everyone Needs to Be Disillusioned

Everyone needs to be disillusioned some time or another. Disillusionment may be associated with naivete or betrayal. Plenty of people become disillusioned with spouses or others upon whom they had placed high expectations, perhaps unadvisedly.

Whatever the immediate reason for our disillusionment, at some point we had believed something that was untrue.

Humorous (for us, but painful for them) examples of disillusionment can be seen on old episodes of auditions for the TV show, American Idol. (Note the title, which points to the illusion of the glamor of being idolized by others.) Every season people who thought they were great singers were unceremoniously told that they could not sing by the judges. Someone had led these contestants to believe that they had great voices, and they believed it. They lived in the illusion that they were wonderful, when they were actually awful. The judges disillusioned them, which forced them to face the truth about their singing ability. Many of them became angry and lashed out at the judges, declaring they did not know what they were doing. It was meant to be funny, but it was also tragic and necessary. Afterward they would be able to move forward in their lives rather than waste their time in the pursuit of a fantasy.

Most of us serve illusions of one sort or another regarding ourselves, others, marriage, work, God, and the world in which we live.  While counseling young couples who are preparing for marriage, I usually inform them that the man hopes his wife to be will never change, but the woman hopes to change her man. They both likely will be disappointed or disillusioned. We try to put our best foot forward during the courting process. After we tie the knot, we tend to relax into our “normal” way of being and doing things, which may be an unwelcome surprise to the spouse. Sometimes young couples go into a marriage expecting that their spouses will be responsible for certain things, as they saw modeled in the home in which they grew up. I often ask the couple during counseling, “Who will clean the bathroom?” “Who will handle the finances?” “Who will wash the dishes?” “Who will do the cooking?” Where will you spend Christmas? Thanksgiving? Do you want children? How many? You get the point. These are things to talk about ahead of marriage to avoid unwelcome surprises later.

We all tend to be deceptive and be deceived to one degree or another.

Women wear make up to create an illusion of beauty that may not naturally exist. We all tend to act in ways that may be somewhat unnatural to ensure that (deceive?) people will like or accept us. Some people resort to being a comedian to hide insecurity. Others may be silent rather than reveal they hold an unpopular position. Ironically, however, if we deceive people into liking the illusion we project, we do not know if they really like the real us! We may feel required to continue the charade until we are at last found out.

True friends know what we are really like and love us anyway.

What a relief to get beyond pretenses! It is delightful to meet and relate to truly honest people, even if it makes us a little uncomfortable at first.

Illusions about God and Ministry

Most of us probably have illusions about God. It is popular today to imagine that God is all love and that he would never condemn anyone to hell. But that is not the God of the Bible, is it? When God revealed himself to Moses, he told him that his name is “I Am Who I Am,” not “I Am Who You Want Me to Be.” If we serve an illusion of who God is instead of the true God, are we not idolators?

A big part of life for a disciple is coming to terms with who God really is and surrendering as completely to him as we are able.

Many disciples have illusions about ministry, too. If we receive a “call” from God to serve him and others, we usually have ideas of what that will look like that may not be accurate. In our pursuit of God we may be heading for disillusionment as we come to terms with reality. Whatever ministry we may have will produce fruit according to God’s grace, not from trying to fulfill some fantasy of what ministry is supposed to be.

Happiness and satisfaction come from simply being the person whom God created us to be and fulfilling his true call upon our lives.

Illusions work just the opposite. Some of us labor under the illusion of inability and incompetence instead of believing that God can and will use us to do his work. Moses was just such a man. Early in life, Moses felt called to help the Israelites. He tried doing it in his own way, but was quickly rejected and became disillusioned. He fled to the desert where he spent decades tending sheep for this father-in-law. Then one day God appeared to him and commissioned him to go back to Egypt and liberate a nation. Moses came up with excuse after excuse. He had been so disillusioned in himself that he had lost faith in God, too.

We should be careful to never to allow our disillusionment to spill over into unbelief. The Lord wants us to move away from self-confidence toward God confidence.

Strongholds

Illusions are a type of lie that the Bible calls a “stronghold.”

For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4  For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5  We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (ESV)

Beginning with Adam and Eve, mankind has shown a propensity for believing lies. Satan knows this and is a master deceiver. Jesus identified him as the “father of lies.”

In general, people accept lies more easily then they do the truth.

One salacious slander is usually more easily believed than a hundred truthful protestations of innocence. Knowing this, politicians use smear campaigns to “dirty up” and defeat their opponents.  People remember the dirt, even if it is later refuted. Sadly, once people make up their minds, it can be very difficult or impossible to change them. As Mark Twain once said, “It is easier to fool someone than to convince them that they have been fooled.” To be blunt, illusions are lies. If we believe a lie, we need to be disillusioned.

Disillusionment takes place when it becomes evident to us that the lie we once believed is not true.

This can be very traumatic. Some people simply choose to deny the truth and continue in deception, preferring the camaraderie of the lie over fellowship with the truth. Others never recover from their encounter with truth and enter the nether world of apathy and unbelief. Still others are able to learn from their past mistakes and move forward. Can you imagine how difficult it would be for a college professor who built his or her entire career on promoting Darwinism and evolution to come to terms with the truth of intelligent design and specific creation? Can you understand how challenging it is for those of us who abandoned the truth of Genesis Chapter One in favor of the pagan-inspired solar system to admit we were wrong?

The more invested we are in a lie, the more difficult it is to escape, but with God all things are possible. The key for us is to love God’s truth, no matter where it may lead us.

The Benefits of Peter’s Disillusionment

Just before his passion, Jesus told his followers that they would be scattered when he embraced his assigned destiny to die on the cross as God’s Lamb.

Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ 32  But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” 33  Peter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” 34  Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” 35  Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same. Matthew 26:31-35 (ESV)

Peter believed a lie about Jesus’ destiny, and he held on to false ideas about himself, too. He imagined that he was much stronger and more faithful to Jesus than he actually was. His confidence was based on trust in his own strength and convictions. He was proud and due for a fall, and he was not alone. The other disciples said the same thing, but Jesus chose Peter to be an example to us all.

When Jesus was first taken captive in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter sprang into action, just as he promised Jesus that he would. He took his sword and attacked those who came to arrest Jesus, cutting off the ear of the servant of the high priest. Jesus commanded him to put away his sword and healed the wounded man. (Matthew 26:52-56)

Peter was ready to die fighting for Jesus and a kingdom he thought was imminent, but not prepared for the reality of God’s will. Peter was greatly disillusioned that night. He learned that following Jesus was not what he thought. In this state of confusion and fear, he denied his Lord three times, just as our Lord told him.

I believe Jesus forewarned Peter that this would happen to help him hang on by faith that he would be restored. Knowing that Jesus knew in advance about his coming failure certainly must have given Peter hope. Jesus did not condemn Peter for his faithlessness under fire, he gave him a promise instead. Luke’s account of the incident adds some important details.

“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, 32  but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” 33  Peter said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.” 34  Jesus said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me.” Luke 22:31-34 (ESV)

Knowing that God selected us to belong to him, despite knowing all about our sins and failures in advance, should give us all great hope, just as it did Peter.

Peter needed to be disillusioned. He needed to find out that he was not all he imagined himself to be. He needed to discover that God loved him despite everything. Disillusionment brought humility and security. I feel sure that Peter was never the same afterward. His faith in himself was less, but his faith in the grace and mercy of God was far greater.

The Peril of Judas’ Disillusionment

Judas was another disciple who became disillusioned, but he did not benefit from it. His idea of who Jesus was (and is) and what it meant to be his follower was overthrown. He gradually realized that Jesus had not put him on a trajectory to acquire wealth, power, and fame. Rather, he apparently became offended at Jesus’ disregard for money, when Mary anointed him with expensive oil prior to his death. It was just after that pivotal event that Judas agreed to betray Jesus for a fee. The sad part is that Judas never found room for repentance. His disillusionment led to his destruction.

What we do when we are confronted with the truth makes all the difference.

Principles for Handling Disillusionment

Following these principles can help us to profit during times of disillusionment.

  • Decide to follow Jesus, no matter what. Disillusionment will not rock the world of a surrendered person. We know we are serving a person who ultimately controls everything and is working all things for our good and his glory. (Romans 8:28)
  • Become well acquainted with the Bible. Disillusionment becomes necessary when we believe a lie. We can insulate ourselves from deception by embracing the truth of God’s Word. If we value truth above all else, we will be thankful when God delivers us from believing a lie.
  • Develop the habit of being thankful. Thankfulness reveals a heart that is humble and surrendered. The Bible teaches us that thankfulness glorifies God. (Ephesians 5:20) We will experience a new measure of God’s grace as we develop a habit of thankfulness.
  • Expect to encounter suffering and tribulation in life. One of the greatest illusions many Christians face is that following Christ should be trouble free. Quite the contrary, God uses suffering and pressure to make us more like Jesus. Those who are ready for such things will find it much easier when suffering arrives on the scene. (1 Thessalonians 3:3)
Prayer

Jesus, I am grateful that you love me past comprehension and are faithful despite my own unfaithfulness. Thank you that you are leading me into more and more truth. Please deliver me from any area in my life in which I serve a lie. Help me to pass through every period of disillusionment and come out on the other side a stronger and more devoted disciple. Help my faith not to fail, Lord. I give you thanks for how you are working all things together for good in my life. May I bring glory to your name. Amen

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The Spiritual Root of Abortion, Homosexuality, and Transgenderism

 

 

 

 

 

The spiritual root of abortion, homosexuality, and transgenderism is rebellion against God. It manifests itself by trying to distort and destroy his creation.

The Bible says that God created man in his own image.

So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28  Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it...” Genesis 1:27-28 (NLT)

Everything in creation is supposed to reflect the glory and purpose of the Creator. Anything that distorts God’s purpose for what he made or detracts from his glory is sin. Satan specializes in getting us to believe lies about God and to accept a distorted version of reality that hides God’s glory.

God created us to live in partnership and dependence upon him. We were never intended to do life on our own. In fact, trying to be independent from God is the essence of sin and the source of death. Our lives depend every moment upon God’s sustaining power. The first great deception of the devil was to impugn God’s character and convince us to abandon the source of all life.

Once we abandoned God, we quickly descended into all manner of evil and even greater deception. Satan leads us down a path to destruction all the while promising us that sin gives life and fulfillment. To keep his deception going, he must continually convince us to chose him and his ways over God and the good news of the gospel – lies over truth and death over life. A case in point is the abortion issue.

Child sacrifice was long ago enshrined in the worship of Chemosh and Molech in the Old Testament. We know from Scripture that such gods or idols represent demonic beings hiding behind the facade. (1 Corinthians 10:19-21) These evil beings have not gone away, and they continue to demand the blood of infants. In the Old Testament, people willingly sacrificed their children in order to gain some sort of occult spiritual advantage. (I have written on this in another article.)

What do modern Americans want? Most of the time mothers justify the murder of their unborn babies by claiming that these babies are not really human beings at all, just blobs of tissue. This is what the medical establishment tells them, but deep down they know better. The Bible says God knew each of us before the creation of the world and personally forms us in the womb. (Jeremiah 1:5) Unborn infants may be just tissue to some mothers, but to God they are beloved children. As horrible as abortion is, however, thankfully, God offers forgiveness, if we turn to him with a repentant heart.

Not only does Satan kill and destroy, he also relishes every opportunity to distort or ruin God’s creation. He uses homosexuality and transgenderism to skew God’s purposes. If we accept the premise that God created us to bring glory to himself and joy and fulfillment to us, then he created us to be perfectly in line with his benevolent will and purpose. He would never install desires that run counter to his will. Sin did that to us.

Claiming that God deliberately created some of us with a desire for others of the same sex or to be another sex makes the Creator appear to be unjust and slanders his integrity.

God’s first commandment to Adam and Eve, which was reiterated after the flood, was to multiply and fill the earth. Our reproductive organs were given to us to bring new humans into the world. A wonderful side benefit is that they also bring pleasure, joy, and fulfillment to us – a wonderful blessing from a gracious Creator. However, their chief purpose is the multiplication of humanity. (Genesis 1:28)

It is obvious that abortion is outright rebellion against this commandment. Homosexuality, on the other hand, is a subtler way to defeat God’s purposes. It takes a man and a woman to produce a baby. Men with men and women with women cannot do this. Likewise, transgender surgery strips a person of any ability to produce children. It is all part of a fiendish plot to harm us.

We are enormously susceptible to lies, especially the ones that give us permission to do what we wish, even when it runs counter to God’s commands.

These lies are designed to convince us to give ourselves over to sin instead of resisting it with God’s help. The warning issued to Cain still stands.

You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” Genesis 4:7 (NLT)

We all must engage in resisting any sin that besets us, including, but not limited to, rebellion against God, idolatry, or lust, whether homosexual or heterosexual. The apostle Paul wrote:

Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. 13  Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. 14  Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace. Romans 6:12-14 (NLT)

The claim that God puts the souls of men into women’s bodies and vice versa also takes a swipe at God’s benevolence and wisdom. God would not do that, but the devil seeks to convince us that this is the case. Pagan religions have long promoted transgenderism. We know that the demons behind these false gods report to the devil. Ashtoreth, an ancient female deity whose worship and cult goes back thousands of years, claimed to have the power to transform men into women. Her followers engaged in all sorts of sexual perversion. Baphomet (on the right) is another satanic transgender “god.” The devil seeks to take God’s benign and beautiful purpose for sex in marriage and mutilate it into something destructive and defiling, just as he promotes the mutilation of sexual organs in the quest for rebelling against how God made us to become something else.

When we rebel God and the purpose for which he created us, we open the floodgates of evil and confusion. (Romans 1:24-27)

But with God there is a way out of bondage into freedom. God cannot be defeated, and his plan for the people he created will yet come to pass. That is why he sent his Son, Jesus the Lord, to defeat Satan and his plan. The Book of Revelation gloriously announces this turn of events.

Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven: “The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.” 16  The twenty-four elders sitting on their thrones before God fell with their faces to the ground and worshiped him. 17  And they said, “We give thanks to you, Lord God, the Almighty, the one who is and who always was, for now you have assumed your great power and have begun to reign. Revelation 11:15-17 (NLT)

Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he told his disciples that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him. (Matthew 28:18) Jesus shares this authority with his born-again people who comprise his body here on earth. Consequently Satan no longer has authority in our lives, and his influence in the rest of the earth will eventually be terminated.

When the seventy-two disciples returned, they joyfully reported to him, “Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your name!” 18  “Yes,” he told them, “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning! 19  Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you. 20  But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.” Luke 10:17-20 (NLT)

Let us remember that our ultimate battle is a spiritual one (Ephesians 6:12) between the kingdom of God and the realm of darkness and evil ruled by Satan.

We understand that even though Christ dealt a death blow to Satan and his kingdom when he rose from the dead, God in his wisdom has permitted us, his people, to be part of the “clean up operation” here on planet earth. It is our Lord’s intention that we his people will have the privilege of crushing Satan under our feet (Romans 16:20), just as he used Moses to crush Pharaoh.

All will be over when Jesus appears in the clouds with great glory, just as he promised. Until then, we are living through an intense contest between two opposing kingdoms for the hearts and minds of people. Each kingdom is enlisting the consent of people to be governed by their respective kings. 

God’s kingdom is enlarged as more and more people declare allegiance to the true King, Jesus the Lord.

The gospel is a proclamation that God will forgive the rebelliousness of those who repent for serving self and Satan. He will transfer us into his glorious kingdom, if we accept his generous offer to be reconciled to God through Christ.

We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, 12  always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. 13  For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, 14  who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.Colossians 1:11-14 (NLT)

The acknowledgement that Jesus is Lord, therefore, is the goal of the gospel and the undoing of our alliance with Satan.

As more and more people consent to be governed by the Lord Jesus, Satan’s power and authority on earth is further weakened. Therefore, the proclamation of the gospel is our greatest spiritual weapon. The door is still open for people to change sides and come back to God. Which side are you on? Time is running short. When Jesus appears in the clouds as he promised, the time for deciding will be over. Choose life and God now, before it is too late.

Prayer

O God, forgive me for allying myself with Satan. I did not understand what I was doing, but now I see and choose to surrender my life to the Lord Jesus. I receive forgiveness for my sins, eternal life, and reconciliation to you, Father God. Thank you for giving me your Holy Spirit to live in and through me. Use me to help others escape from the kingdom of darkness. Amen.

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The Danger of Being Wise

Is there a danger associated with being wise? Isn’t wisdom our safeguard against foolishly exposing ourselves to danger?

A wise man is cautious and turns away from evil, But a fool is arrogant and careless. Proverbs 14:16 (NASB95)

How could anything as profitable and desirable as wisdom put anyone in danger? Solomon wrote that finding wisdom is better than acquiring gold. (Proverbs 16:16) Finding wisdom is a way to love our own souls. (Proverbs 19:8) Can something so valuable also be dangerous?

But Solomon also wrote this warning:

Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him. Proverbs 26:12 (NASB95)

It is one thing to be truly wise and quite another to be wise in our own estimation.

Consider these words of Jesus.

At that very time He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and said, “I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. Luke 10:21 (NASB95)

It is sobering to me that Jesus rejoiced because his heavenly Father chose to conceal the truth about Jesus’ identity from the wise and intelligent and reveal it instead to the childlike or simple-minded. Why would that bring joy to the Lord?

Isaiah prophesied something very similar.

Therefore behold, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous; And the wisdom of their wise men will perish, And the discernment of their discerning men will be concealed.” Isaiah 29:14 (NASB95)

God says that it glorifies him that man in his own wisdom and intelligence cannot know God. Satan prompted Adam and Eve to pursue godlike status by using their own reasoning power to gain knowledge, and God, in his wisdom, decided that no one will find him that way.

Unless we are willing to lay aside the pride of human intellect and wisdom, we will never know God.

In another place, Jesus quoted Isaiah.

FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES, OTHERWISE THEY WOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES, HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.’ Matthew 13:15 (NASB95)

Faith comes by hearing or perceiving God’s words spoken in our hearts through revelation from the Holy Spirit. (Romans 10:17)

We can only know God by faith that is ignited when the Spirit of God opens our hearts and minds to apprehend the truth of God’s person and words. This is a spiritual encounter that transcends human reasoning and wisdom.

Paul likewise took up this theme in his first letter to the church in Corinth.

For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; 27 but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, 28 and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, 29 so that no man may boast before God. 1 Corinthians 1:26–29 (NASB95)

There is a wisdom from God and a wisdom of the world. (James 3:13-18) Those who rely on worldly wisdom use its ordinarily reliable principles for evaluating situations and information to arrive at a prudent course of action.

The wisdom from God relies primarily on being led by the Holy Spirit, which will always be in harmony with God’s written Word.

There is a very big difference between the two kinds of wisdom that produces quite opposite results.

The danger that comes from being wise is that we can start relying more on our natural wisdom than on the Spirit of God and the Word of God.

I have observed that the people whom I consider to be the wisest by nature are quite careful and make it a practice to try to avoid extremes, following King Solomon’s advice. (Ecclesiastes 7:16-18) Wise people I know generally believe that the truth is usually found somewhere in the middle between opposing opinions. This produces a tendency to refuse to identify with or commit to either side in a controversy.

Politically, taking the middle road often works pretty well, but when it comes to truth issues, it is seldom the answer.

People in the Bible who tried this “wise” approach sometimes ended up in the wrong place. Take for example when Gamaliel advised the Jewish leaders to avoid persecuting the apostles.

And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; 39 but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God.” Acts 5:38–39 (NKJV)

Gamaliel used his wisdom to remain neutral in a controversy. On the positive side, he chose to not persecute the Christians, which was good, but his “wisdom” never led him make a commitment to Christ, as far as we know. It left him in a gray, lukewarm, undecided realm, which is perhaps more dangerous than being hotly against Christ. The apathetic middle position indicates that neither position is worth the effort or commitment.

Truth requires us to make a commitment to it, even if it seems to be an extreme position.

Jesus blew Judaism apart. It was impossible to remain neutral to him and his message, unless a person simply did not care. The same was true of Paul.

When Jesus arrived on the earth, he was thought by many to be the bastard child of an insignificant woman from Nazareth. When the Lord revealed to Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, Simeon, and Anna that this little babe was the one chosen by God to assume David’s throne on a forever basis, it was not something anyone would ever have predicted or been able to figure out. It was a completely surprising turn of events that was so extremely divergent from the opinion of the experts (the priests, scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees) that it must have seemed ridiculous in the extreme. Few if any wise or biblically educated persons would ever have believed such a claim made by supposedly ignorant persons from the lower rungs of society.

When Jesus entered his public ministry, very few from the group considered to be educated and wise believed his message. In fact, they were offended by his confident teaching, his demonstrations of God’s power to heal and deliver people from demons, his refusal to be bound by ungodly Talmudic oral traditions, and his claim to be able to forgive sins. Eventually those in power put him to death for saying he is the divine Son of Man prophesied by Daniel. From their point of view, Jesus’ claims were dangerous, misguided, and blasphemous. Their “wisdom” completely let them down because it was unable to accept anything outside their understanding of what was the correct interpretation of the scriptures. How could all the experts be wrong?

These so-called authorities rebuked those who were open to the truth that Jesus was the Messiah. (John 7:45-49) The rulers and Pharisees were so convinced that their view regarding the coming Messiah was correct that they were not able to recognize him when he stood right in front of them and spoke to them. Their hearts were closed to anything that did not fit into their paradigm, understanding, and training. They were convinced that they were far wiser and more discerning than the “simple minded,” ignorant people who were being deceived into believing in Jesus. They were convinced that they were the guardians of truth responsible to protect God’s people from heresy and false messiahs. Their worldly wisdom and desire to avoid being deceived by Jesus’ “extreme” claims took them down a wicked path to murder their Messiah, all the time thinking that they were serving God.

In the eyes of the world, the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is outside the pale of what is reasonable and wise.

It is thought to be an extreme position that runs counter to the dominant worldview and all sound wisdom. To accept that Jesus rose from the dead as the Lord of Lords who will one day return to judge the living and the dead requires one to be willing to be labeled as a misguided religious fanatic.This happened to Paul when he preached the gospel in Athens, the center of worldly wisdom at that time.

And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, “We will hear you again on this matter.” Acts 17:32 (NKJV)

Some rejected the gospel, but others were “open” and wanted to hear more. In order to be saved, we have to move from being “open” to God to being committed to him. Before doing so, one should count the cost of making such a decision.

A public confession of Christ followed by water baptism is the designated way for us to declare our allegiance to Jesus the Messiah and become part of what the world considers to be a misguided fringe sect of fanatics.

It is impossible for us to accept the gospel as being the truth without the help of the Holy Spirit.

Only those people who hearts are open to receive revelation from God are able to believe and come to Jesus. This is what it means to be childlike.

Jesus said that unless we become like little children, we cannot enter the kingdom of God. (Matthew 18:3) Jesus said we cannot come to him unless we are drawn by the Father and have our eyes opened by the Spirit of God. (John 6:44)

Once that happens, the Holy Spirit enables us to see things in an entirely new way. We are able to operate by means of a divine wisdom not recognized or understood by those in the world.

Paul wrote:

Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; 7 but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; 8 the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; 1 Corinthians 2:6–8 (NASB95)

Since we are human, we remain susceptible to the temptation to rely on human wisdom instead of the Spirit of God and the written Word. This can take us into dangerous territory. Every strength has a corresponding weakness. The strengths associated with wisdom are obvious, but the weaknesses are more subtle. A person who is endowed with natural wisdom can easily begin to rely on that strength and slip away from a dependence on the Holy Spirit to open God’s Word and wisdom to us. There is a similar peril attached to being intelligent. We can start relying upon natural smarts instead of God’s Spirit.

The truly wise person learns to submit his natural wisdom and intelligence to the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.

The humble person will remain open to the Holy Spirit’s revealing surprising truths to him or her for all of life. Otherwise we are in danger of becoming what Jesus called an “old wineskin” that is unable to receive new revelation from God’s Spirit. If we are willing to be identified with the remnant who believe God’s Word and declare allegiance to Jesus, we likely will have great impact on the world. We may be foolish in the world’s sight, but God will say we are wise.

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Satan’s Strategy to Legitimize and Normalize Perversion

Satan has a strategy to legitimize and normalize perversion. The Bible forewarns us that every society that refuses to acknowledge and worship God will sink into the abyss of sexual degeneracy. (Romans 1:21-27) The definition of perversion is the turning away from what is right, proper, or good. Any time we pervert God’s intended purpose for creation, we dishonor God and hurt ourselves. This is especially true regarding sex. What God intended for great good has been used to bring incredible harm.

Satan’s strategy in the garden of Eden was first to bring into question the truthfulness of God’s words.

That remains one of his chief weapons of mass destruction.

He began by asking Eve a seemingly innocuous question.

...“Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” Genesis 3:1b (NLT)

The serpent couched an accusation inside his question. The Bible calls the devil the “accuser of the brethren” for good reason. (Revelation 12:10) In fact, God generously permitted his first people to eat from any tree of the garden, except one. Satan twisted that into God’s saying they could not eat from any of the trees, which put Eve on the defensive immediately. The penalty for eating that fruit would be death. Eve quickly revealed that she did not fully understand God’s command, which was perhaps the purpose of the probing question. She thought the prohibition also included not touching the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Perhaps Adam added that extra bit when he passed on the commandment to Eve, thinking it would strengthen what God said and make the fruit seem even more “off limits”.

We can safely say that it is never a good idea to add to God’s words. That is where most legalism starts.

Next Satan escalated his attack by flatly contradicting God’s warning.

“You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. 5  “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.” 6  The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. 7  At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. Genesis 3:4-7 (NLT)

What so quickly convinced Eve that God was a liar? Why did she so soon turn against her Creator and doubt his good intentions toward her and Adam?

If we learn nothing else from this account, it is that humans are extremely susceptible to deception and accept lies more quickly than truth.

Humanity took a nose dive that day. God’s beautiful creation was perverted at its core, setting the course of history into a downward spiral which continues to this day. Only God can and will save us. In fact, that is just what he did when he sent his Son to live, die, and rise again. Jesus’ death and subsequent resurrection set in motion God’s great reclamation project which will culminate at Christ’s Second Coming. It will include the generation of a new heaven and earth.

For all practical purposes, the war was won and the final outcome determined when Jesus rose from the dead some 2000 years ago. Nevertheless, skirmishes and battles continue as human history moves toward the glorious return of God’s Son. The Lord is working to increase his family through preaching the gospel and making disciples. Satan is likewise advocating a false gospel of humanism and  developing his own followers who will follow his lie into hell.

Our sexuality is fundamental to how God made us. 

So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27 (NLT)

For most of human history almost everyone understood that there are only two genders, but in an effort to undermine God’s intention and destroy humanity, Satan has attacked that fundamental truth. A great number of people once again have fallen for the serpent’s lie.

Now we are told that we can declare ourselves to be whatever gender we wish whenever we desire. We can even use surgery and hormone therapy to make the change look somewhat real. However, the truth is that we can never alter our DNA. Men have X and Y chromosomes, and women possess a double X. As much as we may wish and as hard as we may try, how God made us is irreversible. Some things we must simply accept and play the hand we were dealt.

Behind the push to deny and pervert how God created us is an implacable rebellion against the sovereign choice of the Creator.

Why are the nations so angry? Why do they waste their time with futile plans? 2  The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the LORD and against his anointed one. 3  “Let us break their chains,” they cry, “and free ourselves from slavery to God.” Psalm 2:1-3 (NLT)

Sin has twisted humanity. Yes, there is such a thing as gender dysphoria. Yes, plenty of people are confused regarding sexual identity and gender, but this does not mean that we abandon God’s original intention for his creation and affirm the confusion as being normal. We can love people no matter what they think about sex or gender, but such love does not have to include affirming their behavior.

When a society rejects God, it eventually descends into the kind of rebellion that actively recruits and encourages sinful behavior in others.

They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too. Romans 1:32 (NLT)

We must teach our children to stand for truth and resist efforts to enfold them into a cultural acceptance of the current rebellion against God’s created order. If necessary, we must remove them from any school system, church, or other institution that works to groom adults and children to accept these blatant attacks against God’s truth. God wants us to openly and unashamedly declare our allegiance to our Lord Jesus and to the truth contained in the Bible.

Loyalty to Jesus includes standing for biblical truth in the marketplace, not merely when giving a gospel presentation in a church meeting.

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What Does Loyalty to God’s Word Look Like?

If God’s Word is our ultimate source of truth, what does loyalty to it look like? Satan’s strategy always has been to make us doubt, deny, and disobey God’s words. God’s Word is not just contained in the book called the Bible. God’s Word is a person – the eternal Logos, the second divine person of the Trinity.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1 (NASB95)

The Logos became a human being named Jesus (John 1:14), who revealed that he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). God’s Word is always true (John 17:17), and it reveals that the only way to experience God’s life is through our Lord Jesus.

Since Jesus is the Logos or Word made flesh, to reject God’s Word is to reject Jesus.

Faith in and loyalty to Jesus includes being loyal to his Word. Every person will eventually face a crisis that tests our loyalty to God’s Word.

For Adam and Eve, it happened in the garden when Satan, disguised as a serpent, questioned Eve and cast doubt upon God’s integrity and the truthfulness of his words.

Adam and Eve failed the loyalty test. It is important that we pass it.

Satan is a cunning deceiver, whom Jesus called the “father of lies.” Speaking to the Pharisees, the Jewish religious leaders who resisted God’s truth, Jesus said:

You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. 45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. John 8:44–45 (NKJV)

We need to understand that the devil’s lies are still very seductive. Through deception he has enslaved most of humanity.

So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. Revelation 12:9 (NKJV)

Before God opens our eyes and hearts, we naturally resist the truth.

Once a lie sets up residence in our hearts and minds, it is easier for us to believe a lie than accept God’s truth. Unsaved people actively resist God’s truth. Even if we have been born again, we may still resist the truth in some areas.

We were created by God to be believers. God set things up so that we can never know everything by our own brain power. Certain areas of life and truth must be accepted by faith.

For example, we cannot empirically prove God’s existence to the satisfaction of an atheist. We can only know this truth by revelation and faith. But neither can an atheist prove the non-existence of God. He simply accepts it as an presupposition. To him or her it may seem obvious, but it cannot be proved.

Because God created us to be believers, we are capable of being deceived into believing something that is false. Knowing this, Satan immediately set out to deceive us into choosing to become “knowers” instead of “mere” believers. The lie that we can know in such a way that we do not need God any longer was a temptation Adam and Eve were not able to resist. Once they fell for the lie, it made it all the easier for Satan to deceive their offspring, who had been cut off from the one called the Truth.

Satan understands that when lies are repeated to us over and over again, we tend to believe them. This is called “brainwashing.” Once often repeated lies take up residency in our brains, they are extremely difficult to overcome. Because of mass media, such deception is increasing. Paul warned us about this state of affairs.

And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 2 Thessalonians 2:11–12 (NKJV)

Satan’s lies erect logical “strongholds” or fortresses in our minds that resist the entrance of God’s truth.

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 2 Corinthians 10:4–5 (NKJV)

The only way to overcome these lie-based strongholds is by accepting the truth of the Word of God as revealed by the Spirit of God, whose ministry includes guiding us into all truth.

However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth... John 16:13a (NKJV)

Just as we must choose Jesus above every false god vying for our allegiance, so we must be loyal to God’s Word above every lie that opposes it.

We must beware of lying presuppositions that try to prevent us from a childlike acceptance of God’s truth. This seems as if it would be a simple matter to root these out, but it is not so easy. For example, most Christians today accept the heliocentric view of what is called the solar system. We have been taught from childhood that his is reality. Therefore, when believers read Genesis Chapter One, they interpret it through the lens of heliocentrism. This causes us to twist God’s Word to means something other than God intended.

The world portrays those of us who adhere to the Bible’s teaching about the origin of mankind as ignorant religious extremists who resist scientific progress.

To go against the dominant “scientific” worldview is to risk, or perhaps guarantee, being labeled a fool. This is a price everyone who is loyal to God’s Word must be willing to pay. (1 Corinthians 4:10)

Jesus revealed how important it is to be loyal to God’s Word, if we are going to experience freedom from Satan’s enslaving lies.

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31–32 (NKJV)

It is time for God’s people to rededicate ourselves to God’s Word and determine that we will adhere to it no matter how costly it may prove to be. Those who honor his Word will be honored by God.

For all those things My hand has made, And all those things exist,” Says the LORD. “But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word. Isaiah 66:2 (NKJV)
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Is Jesus God?

Is Jesus God, or was he a man just like the rest of us whose fans elevated him to that status posthumously? C.S. Lewis, the great British philosopher who became a Christian later in life, wrote in his classic book, Mere Christianity:

Jesus [. . .] told people that their sins were forgiven. [. . .] This makes sense only if He really was the God whose laws are broken and whose love is wounded in every sin. [. . .] I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: “I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.”

That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.

The Bible makes it clear that Jesus’ enemies knew that he claimed to be God. Let me give you two examples. The first is an encounter he had with his opposition, the Jewish religious leaders. They are the first to speak in the following passage.

"Surely You are not greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets died too; whom do You make Yourself out to be?" 54  Jesus answered, "If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, 'He is our God'; 55  and you have not come to know Him, but I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I will be a liar like you, but I do know Him and keep His word. 56  "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad." 57  So the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?" 58  Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am." 59  Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple. John 8:53-59 (NASB)

The name of God revealed to Moses was “I am who I am,” which is translated Yahweh in many Bibles. When Jesus declared to his enemies that he is the “I am,” he knew what he was doing, and so did they. He claimed to be Yahweh in the flesh. That is why they immediately picked up stones to kill him.

Another example is when our Lord stood before his accusers during his nighttime mock trial before his crucifixion. The Sanhedrin’s false witnesses did not give them what they needed to condemn Jesus to death; so, as a last resort, they asked Jesus directly if he were indeed the Messiah. He did not simply affirm what they asked: he went much, much further, giving them grounds for declaring him a blasphemer. Here are our Lord’s words.

But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” 64  Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 65  Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. 66  What is your judgment?” They answered, “He deserves death.” Matthew 26:63-66 (ESV)

Now to those who do not know the Old Testament scriptures, this may not seem like much. But for those Jewish leaders, who did know the scriptures, what Jesus said was a claim to be God. The reference is to the writings of the prophet Daniel.

“I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. 14  And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed. Daniel 7:13-14 (ESV)

Even though many think that Jesus’ self-identification as the “son of man” was a reference to his humanity, I believe first and foremost it is a reference to this passage in Daniel. This son of man is a heavenly being who has been given everlasting dominion and will judge all peoples. This fits perfectly with the Christian position that Jesus is the God-man who died as the Lamb of God for our sins and rose again as the Lord of Lords, who now sits at his Father’s right hand, waiting for his enemies to be completely subjugated, at which time he will return as the divine Son of Man to judge the living and the dead and rule over God’s kingdom forever.

After Jesus rose from the dead, he appeared to his apostles. Everyone was there except Thomas, who resolutely said he would not believe without physical proof. Later Jesus appeared to his followers again, when Thomas was also present. Here is the account.

Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.” 28 Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.” John 20:27–29 (NASB95)

Now if Jesus were not God, he would never have allowed Thomas’ assertion to go unchallenged. It would have been completely improper to ascribe divinity to a mere man, but Jesus is God, which Thomas immediately recognized.

If we try to logically prove Jesus’ divinity, we will never get there. Knowing who Jesus is required divine help. The Holy Spirit must reveal this to us, or we will never ever see it.

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. Matthew 16:15–17 (NASB95)

How about you? Have you had your eyes opened to Jesus’ true identity or do you still think you can figure things out for yourself? Isn’t it about time for you to ask for divine assistance?

Prayer

Jesus, I recognize that if you truly rose from the dead, you must be the Lord of lords to whom I owe complete allegiance. Holy Spirit, I ask you to reveal Jesus’ divinity to me so that I can believe with all my heart. Remove the spiritual blindness from my heart. Amen.

For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6 (NASB95)
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Does the Government Own Us?

Does the government own us? It’s right to tax its citizens suggests that it thinks so. Try not paying your property tax, if you want to discover who actually owns the land for which you hold the deed. Our nation’s founding fathers believed it is “self-evident” that our freedoms originate in God, which inspired them to rebel against a British government that had stripped colonists of the rights guaranteed them as subjects of that nation. They believed that a government must fulfill God’s intent for government, to administer justice according to Romans 13, in order to be legitimate. They believed stealing – taxation without representation – is wrong, whether it is carried out by an individual or a government. No sane people would or should submit to tyranny because God never intended that we do so. Jesus came to set us free from Satan’s despotic rule, indicating his general condemnation of all such governments.

In our own day, we generally have a much lower education level than did our forefathers, even if we go to school for a longer period. We have not been taught the basics of critical thinking. Citizens of the United States have never even been taught the basic principles behind our Constitution. Instead we have been “dumbed down” to uncritically believe the government propaganda machine.

Belief in inherent God-given rights requires an a priori belief in God. But if we do not believe in God’s existence, we have no basis for assuming freedom is a birthright. Instead we will accept the humanistic presupposition that freedoms and rights derive from human government, which can issue or retract them at will.

The state, by its nature, assumes that everything derives from it, belongs to it, and must serve it. In other words, it tries to take the place of God.

Our forefathers did not trust any form of government because they understood the corrupt nature of humanity, just as did our Lord Jesus. (John 2:25) That is why they built numerous safeguards into our Constitution. Sadly, however, every system of human government is flawed by nature and eventually gets “played” by conniving people, and that has happened to us as a nation. Our very freedoms have been turned against us to enslave us. Our constitutional and God-given freedoms are being routinely stripped by lawless people in our government who dare us to do anything about it.

But back to our topic… Here is a passage that addresses the fundamental issue of ownership.

Then the Pharisees went and plotted together how they might trap Him [Jesus] in what He said. 16  And they *sent their disciples to Him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any. 17  "Tell us then, what do You think? Is it lawful to give a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?" 18  But Jesus perceived their malice, and said, "Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites? 19  "Show Me the coin used for the poll-tax." And they brought Him a denarius. 20  And He *said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?" 21  They *said to Him, "Caesar's." Then He *said to them, "Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and to God the things that are God's." 22  And hearing this, they were amazed, and leaving Him, they went away. Matthew 22:15-22 (NASB)

The presupposition behind taxation is that the government has authority over us to take our money to pay for its operations. In Jesus’ day, the Romans imposed heavy taxes upon subjugated people groups, which were often exacerbated by greedy middle men who acted as tax collectors. These taxes were punitive in nature and served to drive home the second-class nature of the citizenry under Roman rule. Rome believed that might makes right and dared anyone to oppose them.

The Jews resented being dominated by an outside rule and the taxes imposed on them. Hoping to ensnare Jesus in the trap of speaking against Rome, they posed their question. Either our Lord would acknowledge the Romans’ right to impose such taxes, incurring the resentment of the common people, or he would get himself in trouble with the Roman authorities. Jesus, however, managed to answer their question in a way that surprised everyone. Instead of focusing on the issue of taxation, Jesus addressed the underlying presuppositions: whose identity do we bear and who owns us?

Caesar’s likeness had been stamped on Roman coinage, which made it clear that Rome created and, in a sense, owned the money, acknowledging Rome’s authority to collect taxes. People, however, bear the stamp of God’s image, meaning that they belong to him, not to the state. The implication is clear.

Whenever the state acts as if it owns people, it transgresses the limitations put upon it by God.

Recently we have witnessed an example of such tyranny. Governments mandated their citizens to be injected with an experimental gene therapy against their will. Lots of people did not want to receive this injection, but were compelled to do so lest they lose their employment or other privileges. Never mind that no one knew for sure if these shots might permanently alter our God-given immune systems. Such mandates assume that we belong to the state rather than to God. Conscientious objections be damned. The “good” of the many was said to nullify our basic freedom of choice under God. In such cases, we cannot submit to a tyrannical state without losing something precious, something our forefathers were willing to sacrifice everything to obtain.

When the state tries to overrule our conscience, it has overstepped its authority and should not be obeyed in that area. Where governments operate within their God-given boundary, to preserve justice, they should be obeyed. (Romans 13:1) Jesus died to set us free to serve God.

Voluntarily surrender to an overstepping government is to choose enslavement.

It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1 (NASB)

Jesus gave up his life to deliver us from satanic tyranny. It is sadly and dangerously irresponsible to willingly submit to it again.

Never doubt for a moment that the state ultimately wants to own and control you. It is the beast rising out of the waters in the Book of Revelation (Revelation 13:1), whose antagonism against God will not be stopped until Christ ultimately destroys it at his Second Coming. (Revelation 19:11-20) Stand firm.

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